1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of liquid containers and, in particular, to a flexible container for storing and dispensing liquids and that can provide safe drinking fluids in a contaminated environment.
2. Background of the Prior Art
The threat of chemical and biological warfare has accelerated the implementation of protective clothing for military and HAZMAT personnel. This protective clothing insulates aircrew personnel and accentuates the need for hydration during long or hot weather missions. Decline in mental performance with lack of proper hydration has been well documented and it is likely that physical performance is also affected. Soldiers, civil service personnel, or any person in a hazardous environment must have the tools to hydrate in order to maintain peak performance even in a chemical or biological warfare (NBC/CBRNE) environment. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a personal hydration system designed for personal use to meet the hydration need, as well as provide NBC/CBRNE hardened protection of that water source from HD and GB agents. The hydration system, comprising a water bladder, fill outlet, drink tube, and connecting hardware can be designed for soldier and/or civil service personnel use with the NBC/CBRNE protective ensemble. The hydration system may be designed to integrate with existing hardware. Construction can be modular and would allow adaptation to military and non-military personal hydration configurations.
Major advantages of the flexible liquid containers over the rigid ones are their relatively easy storage, as they take up almost only as much space as needed for their contents and take very little space when empty. Another advantage of flexible containers over rigid ones is the convenience in transporting and in carrying them around. They conform to the shape of the body or vehicle that carries them. They integrate very well with other equipment carried in activities such as military and outdoor activities. Yet another advantage is that flexible containers are easily produced in various shapes and sizes, and their production cost is relatively low—this is true for both the production materials and the production tools. These advantages are especially valuable for military purposes or recreational purposes like jogging, cycling, mountaineering, camping etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,298 to Boxer et al. describes a sport hydration system having a flexible liquid container or bag, suspended from the shoulder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,349 to Fawcett discloses a resilient valve and dispensing system for bicyclists. The resilient valve was designed of an elastic material and had a cut at its top edge. In order to drink the user bites the valve thus forcing the cut on the valve open, and allowing the liquid to flow through.
However, flexible liquid containers have a disadvantage being vulnerable and easy to pierce or burst. This has led to solutions that seek to provide external means of defense to flexible bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,075 to Riley discloses a Bag-in Box type of container for pressurized liquid, consisting of a flexible bag located inside a tube of rigid or inelastic material or a sleeve of elastic material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,512 to Sharples discloses a liquid container and dispenser for controlled liquid dispensation, having a rigid or semi-rigid housing and an inner flexible bag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,713 to Chambers et al. describes a carbonated beverage dispenser, comprising a collapsible fluid holding container, disposed within an outer rigid container.
None of the above solutions discloses a hydration system that is both flexible (i.e. its external walls are flexible) and can provide protection to the contents in a contaminated environment.
Therefore, there is a need for a hydration system that can be used for military purposes or recreational purposes and that can provide safe drinking water and other fluids in an NBC/CBRNE contaminated environment.